Latest news

Music's been flowing in every possible corner of Real World today - Daby and Skip (pictured below) are working on new projects for Real World Records in The Wood Room and The Big Room respectivly, with rumours of a 30+ strong ensemble rehersing elsewhere on site (someody must have eaten all those sandwiches!), and that's all before Adrian Sherwood arrived to really make some noise.

Our very own Blind Boys of Alabama will be appearing on ABC America's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on September 17 (from 8 to 10 ET). This two hour episode involves Oscar winner Marlee Matlin and the show's design team rebuilding a home for a blind father and his family members, including two visually impaired children, a child who is deaf, and his mother who is blind.

The Blind Boys will perform 'Stand By Me' on the show. As one of America's top 20 rated shows Extreme Makeover will broadcast to around 8.4 million viewers!

Guitarist and producer Michael Brook has recently released 'RockPaperStone', his third solo album (after a 13 year break). Described by Chris Nickson in Global Rhythm magazine as 'expansive' and 'atmospheric' the album features a number of collaborations including one track with the late genius Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Brook and Nusrat worked together on the two seminal fusion albums 'Mustt Mustt' and 'Night Song'. During the making of this new album Brook took an out take from the Mustt Mustt sessions and has breathed life into it with a new track entitled 'Pond'. 'RockPaperScissor' is available through Brook's own label Canadian Rational.

Daby Touré has spent the last week with us at Real World, working in the studios Millside space recording parts for his next CD. He's having a change of environment today moving across to the newly refurbished Production Room to start work on mixing and vocals, so we took a break recording yesterday and took Daby on a trip into Bath to sample the local café culture and take some pictures.

Daby's been on an almost onn-stop journey since the release of Diam, clocking up over 6000 road miles in europe on the Peter Gabriel tour alone, and he hasn't slowed down since - he's just back from his latest stint of live gigs in North American which you can check out on his Mysapce site. Daby says new music is influenced by the journey, broadening out from Diam's African and Parisian focus - it's sounding good to us, but you'll have to wait a while for even a sneak preview.

In the meantime if you need an immediate fix of Daby, iTunes UK have made it that bit easier by including a Real World section on their World Music page, so Diam's now available instantly.

Listen to the The National Geographic News Podcast where Yungchen Lhamo is interviewed about her childhood memories, fleeing Tibet across the Himalayas and meeting the Dalai Lama in the refugee camps of Dharamsala.

What should have been a highlight of this weekend's WOMAD Festival will be sadly missing from the bill. The great Thomas Mapfumo - musical original, political activitist for his beloved Zimbabwe and legendary voice of East Africa will not be able to appear. Unfortunately he has been refused his UK visa to enter the country.

Thomas Mapfumo is currently residing with his family in Eugene, Oregon whilst the political situation in Zimbabwe remains as it is. He wants to continue to hold his Zimbabwe passport and citizenship and wants to return home as soon as he can.

Mapfumo has been refused a visa to enter the UK, despite having been issued with UK Work Permits. The reasons given for this are that he entered the US on a P visa granted to musicians but then changed this by applying for political asylum and based on this the entry clearance officer at the British Embassy is not satisfied that he intends to leave the UK. The US Department of Homeland Security are currently assessing his situation and have issued Thomas with parole documents which allow him to leave the US and return on or before 25th August 2006. They have confirmed that he is not under deportation proceedings and the form clearly states that he is permitted to return to the US. In spite of this the British Embassy are still not satisfied that he intends to leave the UK and have therefore refused entry clearance. In spite of our best efforts to have been unable to influence the situation.

We very much hope that clearance will be given for Thomas and his band to enter the UK for live dates later in 2006.

For those lucky enough to have tickets to the best World Music festival in....well....the world...you can catch three of the best from Real World Records! This weekend at WOMAD Rivermead (Reading, UK) you can see Guo Yue expounding on music, food and (possibly) love, Los De Abajo stirring things up with their unique brand of Mexican ska and the lovely Värttinä - gorgeous harmonies, fabulous musicianship, scary lyrics!

In the August/September edition of fRoots magazine you can read an indepth interview with the wonderful Mexican rebels Los De Abajo. Journalist Christine Charter meets them at home in Mexico City and enjoys the food, the drink and the politics. Genuine activists in the politcal activities of their country you can read what is really happening in Central America....an inspiration both musically and socially!

The band are on tour and shortly to arrive in the UK where their dates include WOMAD Rivermead on Friday 28 July - they are unmissable live!